Climate change is prolonging allergy season, B.C. doctors say
Itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion, and sneezing are all common symptoms of seasonal allergies.
Dr. Angeliki Barlas, an allergist based in Port Moody, B.C., says that climate change is a contributing factor to worsening symptoms and longer allergy seasons.
"People will often tell me I feel like I'm suffering almost year-round because pollen season is more prolonged and much more intense,"
"We're finding that with climate change, the warming of the environment has been causing pollen to become more inflammatory and affecting the immune system much more," Barlas told CBC's Daybreak North.
Dr. Davidicus Wong, a family doctor in Burnaby, shared a similar message about climate change worsening allergy symptoms in an interview with CBC's Baneet Braich.
He says that with a warmer climate, pollinators are being tricked into pollinating early.
Barlas, who is president of the B.C. Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, an organization made up of physicians who specialize in allergies, says that a warmer climate releases more pollen into the air, affecting those with respiratory issues more seriously, and for longer periods of time.
"People might find that their asthma becomes worse during these seasons as well, which can be detrimental to our health-care system in general."
Air pollutants, such as wildfire smoke, add another layer onto worsening allergy symptoms for those affected. Barlas says that microscopic pollen interacts with smoke when there is a fire, causing the air to become inflammatory and harder on the immune system.
"Patients with asthma tend to find that their symptoms will flare up with wildfire smoke exposure, and as a result of that, requiring more medications, requiring presentation to their doctor or even to the emergency department."
Barlas says that environmental control is an important piece of preventing allergy symptoms during high pollen season.
Close the windows in your home and vehicle to prevent pollen buildup, and make sure to shower and wash your clothes when you get home if you happen to go on a hike, he says, since lots of pollen will build up while outside.
If you are going to take medication to treat allergy symptoms, Barlas recommends staying away from Benadryl.
"There's been lots of research recently that Benadryl can have long-term negative effects, including memory loss and dementia."
Instead, her team recommends using non-drowsy antihistamines such as Claritin or Allegra.
Barlas says that allergy patients need to be referred by their primary provider, such as a nurse practitioner or family physician, to receive immunotherapy, a desensitization treatment for allergies.
Although there are no allergists in northern B.C., allergists on the Lower Mainland take online appointments for northern patients using telehealth, says Barlas.
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